A Glimmer of Light
by WritingElephant
Summary: A surprising moment in the hall after the disastrous Yule Ball. Dramione. Rated T for language. May continue with enough requests.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey lovely reader! I got this idea from an interview with J.K Rowling where she said that the reason Draco always mocked Hermione was not her blood, but because he had romantic feelings for her and wanted to push her away. She also said that his feelings would stay with him forever; much like Snape's for Lily. So from that I made this! Enjoy. **

**Don't own anything btw.**

**A Glimmer of Light:**

By the time she was about halfway back to the common room she had pulled herself together.

The Yule ball had started out great. For the first time since she didn't know when she hadn't felt like "the brightest witch her age," she had simply felt like an ordinary teenage girl whose only responsibility was to have a good time that night.

Then of course Ron had to go along and ruin it. She couldn't believe the way he had treated her and in that moment she let the whole idea believe she was cursed. Maybe she wasn't destined to have fun or feel happy and pretty. Maybe she was always just going to be the scruffy girl who always raised her hand.

She had a bit of a cry and then started to make her way back to the common room. She could think of nothing more comforting than curling up in bed and letting sleep take away her problems. She was rounding the corner near that would lead her to another staircase, but bumped into something hard. She looked up and came face to face with Draco Malfoy.

Under normal circumstances Hermione would have just walked away, but she was so shocked that she just froze. He grinned at her.

"Granger. Fancy seeing you here." He said.

"M-Malfoy! What are you doing here?" she gasped.

"Oh y'know, lurking in the shadows," He said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

The shock at running into him so suddenly had subsided enough for her to be irritated by his antics. She rolled her eyes at him.

"How very mysterious of you." She said sarcasm thick in her voice.

Ignoring Hermione's tone Draco went on to say: "I might ask you that very same question. Aren't you supposed to be on that fancy date with Crum? What's wrong? Did he turn out to be a bit of a wanker?"

"For your information he happened to be very nice" she snapped.

"Then why are you out here with me and not out there in the great hall with him?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"That's none of your business" she shot. She sent him her iciest glare and pushed past him. His hand encircled her wrist.

"Granger, wait." He demanded.

"What?" she said.

For a moment he just stared at her, right in the eyes. There was a tormented look there that made Hermione anxious. She thought he might not answer her, but then finally he spoke.

"Granger, whatever happened tonight...you need to go back to that ball." he said.

His words were as soft as his eyes. Hermione was painfully aware of the fact he was still holding on to her arm, but he didn't seem to notice. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn't. Draco inhaled deeply.

"I know I've been cruel to you and in the future... I'll be even crueler to you. I just want you to know I'm sorry for that. Truly." He said, his voice wavering. "But tonight you should go out and have great time and forget about bastards like me."

Hermione blinked at him. She finally found herself able to speak.

"Why?" she rasped.

"Because..." he trailed off. "Because you deserve it... and because you're beautiful."

Hermione honestly had no idea how to respond. Where had all of this come from? Was it all a joke? No it couldn't be. When she looked in his eyes all she could see was sincerity and hurt.

"Thank you..." she said, carefully.

He gave her a nod so small she would have missed it if she had been paying less attention. After one last glance he let go of her and walked away.

Hermione watched as he walked, her head reeling. What had just happened had been a big revelation to her about Draco Malfoy. She had always known that he was broken under his charade, but she had never known him to be kind.

She felt a smile curl its way across her face.

**I hope you liked that! I might make it a multi-chapter if I get enough reviews. I'm not sure, but I'll have to finish my AHS fic first. But review and tell me if you want more and you just might get it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Anyone remember this story? Well, if so, let me know because I think I'm gonna continue it… just once I figure out where it is actually going. Anyone got any ideas? haha. Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. You are all so lovely. Happy reading!**

Chapter 2:

"Do you think Dumbledore's beard still grows? Or is it just gonna stay the same length forever?" Ron babbled, his mouth stuffed full with mashed potato.

Hermione didn't reply. It was the day after the Yule ball and she was giving him to the silent treatment. She was so mad at him. Just when she had started to think... well that didn't matter now. It was starting to become obvious to her that although Ron loved her, he would never understand her, really. And... she wouldn't understand him either.

So she sat staring into her porridge broodingly and not talking. She wasn't even so much angry at Ron as she was disappointed; in him, in herself, in what they weren't.

"Are you alright, 'Mione?" Harry asked, sending her a concerned glance from the other side of

the table.

"I'm just fine" she snapped.

Harry sent her a look that said _alright, alright. Don't get your knickers in a twist. _She immediately felt bad. She shouldn't have taken it out on her friend, but she wasn't up to any kind of civil morning conversation. Her mind was heavy with the events of the night before and what a disaster it had all been. Well, it was mostly a disaster aside from the strange and unlikely events that had occurred in the corridor between her and one Draco Malfoy.

Hermione was still wrestling with herself over whether it had all really happened. Surely, she must have dreamed it all up. She couldn't think about his words or his long fingers wrapped around her wrist without a chill going down her spine and she couldn't understand why that was. His motives for his actions were ambiguous, however Hermione surprised herself by feeling that he was as well meaning as he had appeared. She was probably wrong, but who knows? Draco was nothing if not an enigma.

As if he had heard her thoughts and took them to be a beckoning he entered the room. He walked down an aisle with Crab and Goyle trailing behind him. Though, what was most surprising about his entry was not it's timing, but the fact that he wasn't heading towards the gryffindor table. To be more specific he was heading towards _them._

Hermione gulped.

As the three slytherins approached, Hermione took the time to compose herself. She didn't know why her stomach felt so tight. They were probably just coming over to call them names like usual. But then… maybe after what had happened between them the night before Draco might be coming to say something different. Something good for once.

"Oi, Potter! Weasley!" Draco called over. "I've heard the Patil twins talking. Word is they were bored out of their minds last night. Typical of you two prats. Couldn't show a girl a good time if you tried."

Maybe not.

Harry shot back at him another jab and predictably the two fell into a verbal spar which Ron occasionally chimed into. But Hermione zoned out. She just couldn't work it out. Why would Draco have bothered saying all those things he had the night before if he was just going to go back to acting like this straight away?

"_I know I've been cruel to you and in the future… I'll be even crueler. I just want you to know that I'm sorry for that. Truly."_

No. Something wasn't right.

Hermione got to her feet. The boys fell silent and looked at her. Every fibre of her being was telling her to just sit back down. She pushed it all back; she had to see for herself. She crossed over to where Draco stood until there was only about half a metre of space separating them. She looked at him as closely as she could as if she was examining something through a microscope. He laughed at her venomously. Crab and Goyle followed suit.

"What are you looking at, Granger?" he sneered.

"Do you really mean all that stuff you say, Draco Malfoy?" she asked. She kept her voice level and almost… gentle.

Harry and Ron were asking what she was doing in bewilderment and worry, but she couldn't hear them. She was fully focused on Draco. She couldn't read his expression, but his eyes on hers felt soft. The moment of silence between them before the moment of reckoning seemed to last forever, when in reality it was probably only a few seconds.

His expression hardened.

He spat in her face.

"Piss off, _mudblood_" he snarled.

Hermione mopped the thick, bubbly liquid of her cheek and stared at him in disbelief. She had never felt so small, but she couldn't let him know that. She straightened her shoulders and looked him square in the face. His nose was up-turned and his eyes were on fire.

"You're pathetic" she said.

She didn't want to give him a chance to say anything else so she side stepped him. He called out something (probably more insults) as she made her way out of the hall. She didn't listen; she just kept walking focusing on the steady sound of her feet hitting the stone floor. She was saving her tears for the laboratory.

She was determined that this would be the last time she would ever bet on Draco Malfoy. That prat would always be the way he was and as sad as that was, Hermione would refuse to ever let that hurt her ever again. She would not think about him or speak about him let alone hope for him. If her heart hadn't been closed to him before; it sure was now.

**I hope you liked that! Thanks for reading! Please R&amp;R. :) **


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